It's a sound that brings happiness into the hearts of many, and now it seems that hearing the pop of a wine bottle cork can also affect your taste buds.

A new study has found that the sound of a cork popping makes us think our wine tastes better – regardless of the quality.

The researchers hope the findings will go some way to providing a definitive answer to the ongoing debate of whether wine tastes better from a bottle with a cork or screw cap.

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It's a sound that brings happiness into the hearts of many, and now it seems that hearing the pop of a wine bottle can also affect your taste buds. A new study has found that the sound of a cork popping makes us think our wine tastes better – regardless of the quality

THE STUDY

140 participants tasted identical wines and rated them after having been played the sound of a cork popping, then again after having heard a screw cap being opened.

They were then asked to actually open both bottles and rate the wines again.

The results showed that participants rated the same wine as 15 per cent better quality when served under a cork than a screw cap.

The wine under a cork was also rated as 20 per cent better for a celebration, and 16 per cent more inciting of a celebratory mood.

Researchers from Oxford University tested whether the sound and sight of a bottle of wine being opened would influence the perception of the wine inside the bottle.

In the study, 140 participants were asked to taste identical wines and rate them after having been played the sound of a cork popping, then again after having heard a screw cap being opened.

They were then asked to actually open both bottles and rate the wines again.

The results showed that participants rated the same wine as 15 per cent better quality when served under a cork than a screw cap.

The wine under a cork was also rated as 20 per cent better for a celebration, and 16 per cent more inciting of a celebratory mood.

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In the study, 140 participants were asked to taste identical wines and rate them after having been played the sound of a cork popping, then again after having heard a screw cap being opened. They were then asked to actually open both bottles and rate the wines again

WORDS ON WINE BOTTLES MATTER

New research suggests that the language used on the label of a wine bottle could be as important to your enjoyment as the flavour of the drink itself.

This is because elaborate and emotional descriptions act as a placebo, tricking our brains into a false sense of quality.

Study participants rated the same wine higher if its description included information regarding winery history and positive wine quality statements, while the drink received worse reviews if it had no description at all.

Professor Charles Spence, lead author of the study, said: 'Our senses are intrinsically linked - what we hear, see and feel has a huge effect on what we taste.

'The sound and sight of a cork being popped sets our expectations before the wine has even touched our lips, and these expectations then anchor our subsequent tasting experience.

'These results emphasise the importance of closures for wine, and the clear association between cork and quality in our subconscious.'

The cork versus screw cap debate has raged between experts, sommeliers and producers in the wine industry for decades.

But this experiment is the first to show evidence that a cork closure provides a more positive drinking experience.